College of Saint Mary is thrilled to announce that Markell Cox has been selected as the 16th head basketball coach in program history.
Cox replaces Natalie Miller, who resigned after leading the program for two years.
The 36-year-old Cox has been a collegiate head coach for 10 years. His most recent stint came at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, Mo., where in two seasons he led the NAIA program to a No. 4 seed in its conference tournament, tied for the second-highest seed in program history.
“I’m excited about Coach Cox leading our program,” CSM Director of Athletics Robbie Shay said. “One of the things that made him very attractive to us is he’s been at several places where he’s been tasked with rebuilding programs, and in my eyes he’s been successful at doing that. I think he’ll help us take that next step, and I think he’s also going to do a great job representing CSM.”
Cox said the more he learned about the school and the people and the position, the more convinced he became that it’s where he wanted to be.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program at College of Saint Mary,” he said. “From the first conversations, it was clear how much this institution values its student-athletes and the overall experience they receive.”
Prior to UHSP, Cox orchestrated a major turnaround at Bluefield (Va.) University, delivering the NAIA program’s first winning season in eight years.
Cox embraces the challenge of coaching in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, which has produced four of the past eight national champions, is sending six of its 12 teams to this year’s national tournament and is considered by many to be the nation’s best at the NAIA level.
“CSM’s location is phenomenal,” he said. “The facilities are amazing. Those things and being in the No. 1 league in all of the NAIA are some of the things that jumped out to me. I’m excited to get to know the current players, the fans and the donors, as well as the people across campus who make CSM a special place. I’m excited to get into the Omaha community and grow the brand of CSM basketball.”
Cox has coached many all-conference players, along with several who have gone on to play professionally. He said success ultimately comes down to treating players with respect and holding them accountable.
“Our foundation will be built on relationships, accountability and consistency,” Cox said. “When you focus on doing the small things the right way every day, the results eventually take care of themselves.”
Cox is ready to hit the ground running and eager to put his unique imprint on the program.
“I’m excited to get to work building strong relationships across campus and creating a program that represents the pride, toughness and commitment this college stands for,” he said.
https://www.csmflames.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/releases/20260312etpoke
Tagged with: NAIA
